Press

GAA Handball Draws Record-Breaking 265,000 Viewers on TG4 for 2024 World Wallball Championships

12.09.24

 
TG4 is delighted to announce unprecedented viewership numbers for the 2024 O’Neills.com World Wallball Championship, as GAA Handball continues to capture the imagination of a global audience. Over an 8-day period, a remarkable 265,000 viewers tuned in to TG4’s coverage of the World Wallball Championships, solidifying the event as a must-watch spectacle for sports enthusiasts.
 
The championship, streamed live over 6 days on Spórt TG4’s YouTube channel, garnered significant attention with 108,000 viewers watching the live broadcasts. A further 24,000 viewers caught the action on replay. The global reach of the event was evident, with viewers from 38 countries tuning in, including 30,000 from the UK and 19,000 from the US.
 
Finals day proved to be the pinnacle of the event, attracting the highest viewership numbers, with 32,000 fans tuning in across Friday’s coverage. The men’s final, featuring the US pairing of Nazir Marston and Timothy Gonzalez, reached a peak viewership, highlighting the growing international interest in the sport.
 
The excitement extended beyond live coverage, with highlights of the Wallball Worlds showcased on Monday’s GAA Handball – Liathróid Láimhe show on TG4. The program attracted 88,500 viewers, averaging 18,400 viewers across the episode, further boosting the overall reach of handball content on TG4.
 
Since the start of 2024, Spórt TG4’s handball viewership has soared to nearly 450,000, encompassing both live streams (202,000) and television views (244,000). In addition to these impressive numbers, clips of the championship and other handball events have achieved between 100,000 to 200,000 views on social media. A social media highlight of the year includes a viral clip of Paul Brady from March, which has amassed 72,000 views on Instagram.
 
“This year’s World Wallball Championship has been a monumental success, and we are thrilled with the incredible viewership numbers,” said Rónán Ó Coisdealbha, TG4’s Head of Sport. “The interest in GAA Handball is growing rapidly, and our partnership with GAA Handball has been successful in bringing this sport to a wider audience. We eagerly anticipate the upcoming 40×20 World Championships in October, where we expect to continue this upward trajectory.”
 
This successful collaboration between TG4 and GAA Handball underscores TG4’s commitment to delivering top-tier sports coverage and engaging content to audiences worldwide. As the popularity of handball continues to rise, TG4 remains at the forefront of sports broadcasting, bringing the thrill of GAA Handball to fans across the globe.